Method of and apparatus for inserting fasteners



OCt. 31, l E. s- NOKES METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR INSERTING FASTENERS Filed March l0, 1952 4 Sheets-Sheet l On my Oct. 3l, 1933. E. s. NoKEs 1,932,420

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR INSERTING FASTENERS Filed March 10, 1932 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 2. OZ Fig /N VEA/TUA? M S.

0d. 31, 1933. E s NQKES 1,932,420

METHOD 0F AND APPARATUS FOR INSERTING FASTENERS Filed March l0, 1932 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Fig. 3. 7

oct. 31, 1933. E. SQ NOKES 1,932,420

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR INSERTING FASTENERS Filed March l0, 1932 4 Sheets- Sheet 4 Patented ctll, 1933 U'Nrrso stares ears-NT carrier.'

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS: FOR NSERT- ING FASTENERS Application March l0, 1932.' Serial No. 597,968

ec claims. (ci. eis-e5) This invention relates to methods of and apparatus for inserting fasteners. An apparatus exemplifying the invention is herein illustrated as embodied in an eyeleting machine of the gang type by which a plurality of eyelets may be in serted and clenched simultaneously.

In certain kinds of work it is necessary to connect two or more plates or layers of sheet material with a plurality of fasteners, such as eyelets or rivets, and to arrange the fasteners otherwise than in a straight row or line. Typical examples of work in which these conditions are encountered-are found in electrical appa ratus, such as radio-receiving sets, and ignition apparatus for internal combustion engines. Specifically, in one well-known electrical distributor for internal combustion engines a plate of electrical insulating material is secured to a plate of metal with` ve clenched eyelets so grouped that not more than three of the necessary five fastener-inserting tools similarly grouped are accessibleto a raceway unit having a plurality of tracks or channels lying side by side. Still,` although simultaneous insertion and clenching of all the eyelets is desirable for economical production of such devices, it has heretofore been necessary to use at least two ias# tener-inserting machines successively to insert the vrecmired number of eyelets into each unit of the Work.

In view of the conditions above set forth, an object ofthe present invention is to provide yimproved means for automatically supplying fasteners to all theV fastener-inserting tools of a gang in which access of a raceway to one or more oi the tools is obstructed by one orrmore o-f the other tools.

To this end, and in accordance with a featurel of the invention, the illustrated machine is pro vided with two confronting raceway units arranged at opposite sides of a gang of fastenerinserting tools, one of the units having a plurality of fastener-supplying channels arranged to present fasteners to certain tools of the gang, and the other unit having one or more such channels arranged to present fasteners to the other tool or tools of the gang, and mechanism for operating the raceway units by moving their delivery ends toward and from each other.

Again, it may be, as exemplified inthe machine herein illustrated, that even whenthe duty of supplying fasteners to a of inserting tools isshared by two confronting raceway units, the

proximity of one or more inserting tools' of one group to one or more tools of the other group will create the problem of avoiding physical interierence between the delivery ends of the race- Way units. Accordingly, to solve this problem, the delivery ends of the illustrated raceways are complementally articulated to clear each other so that both may occupy fastener-presenting relation totheir respective inserting tools at the same time. l

Another object of the invention is to provide improved methods and improved apparatus whereby the force and motion commonly requiredto insert :fasteners may be supplemented by an additional force and motion, if need be, to insure complete insertion or permanently tight setting of the fasteners.

To thisrend, and in accordance with another feature of the invention, the illustrated machine isl provided with slow-motion mechanism arranged to insert the fasteners, and percussion mechanism arranged to strike a blow on an element of the slow-motion mechanism in the direction of its fastener-inserting motion and'in timed relation to its cycle of operation. Thus, when, as in the illustrated machine, the sudden impact produced by the percussion mechanism occurs concurrently with completion of the slow inserting motion, it takes effect at that stagevwhen resistance to insertion of the fastener or fasteners is greatest.l This timing of the two mechanisms not only insures complete insertion of the fasteners but also enables a relatively light machine to do relatively heavy work. Moreover, when such a method is used to insert and clench tubular fasteners with a roll-clench it avoids splitting the clenched ends of the fasteners, since ample time is afforded by thev slow-motion mechanism for the metal of the fasteners to flow and stretch while the roll-clench is in process of development. Then, if any further iiowing or stretching of the metal occurs as a result ci a sudden .impact executed by the percussion mechanism the magnitude of transformation so produced is too slight to cause splitting of the clenched portions.

Referring to the drawings,

Fig. l is a front elevation of a fastener-inserting machine embodying the present invention;

' Fig. 2 is a right-side elevation thereof, the righthand raceway being omitted to avoid concealing other elements of the machine;

Fig. 3 is atop plan view of the machine omitting the right-hand raceway and a portion of the hammer; i

Fig. e is a right-side elevation, partly in section, including the fastener-inserting plunger, slowmotion mechanism for operating the plunger, and

:cuit of an ignition apparatus.

percussion mechanism for slow-motion mechanism;

Fig. 5 is a front elevation of the slow-motion mechanism (see line V-V in Fig. 4) and means for retracting the percussion element and timing the operation thereof;

Fig. 6 is a top plan View including a gang of anvils and the delivery ends of the two cooperative racevvay units in their respective fastenerpresenting positions;

Fig. 7 is a front elevation including a portion of the left-hand racevvay unit and the mechanism for operating that unit;

Figs. 8, 9 and 1i) are front elevations of individual parts all included in the assembly in Fig. 7;

Fig. 11 is a front'elevation of the parts included in Fig. 5 but shows the parts in different positions;

Fig. 12 is a top plan view of a specimen of Work into Which ganged fasteners may be inserted by the illustrated machine; and

Fig. 13 is an elevation, partly in section, illus trating, on a magnied scale, a pair of cooperative setting tools in the act of clenching a tubular fastener of the type included in Fig. l2.

The specimen of Work illustrated in Figs. 12 and 13 presents typical examples of the problems to which this invention is directed. This specimen comprises a plate l5 of sheet steel, a plate 16 supplementing the Y of hard, compressed fiber, and ve eyelets 17 connecting them and arranged otherwise than in a straight row, the plate 16 having the property of electrical insulation and being intended to support an electrical contact point in the primary cir- 1n commercial production of these assemblages it is required that all five of the eyelets 1'? be inserted and clenched simultaneously, but it is to be understood that the holes for receiving the eyelets are formed in a j prior operation. 40"

The illustrated machine is provided With a gang of five fastener-inserting tools 21, 22, 23, 24, and 25 and with a complemental gang of five stationary anvils or clenching tools 26, 27, 28, 29, and 30 each arranged to cooperate with one of the fastener-inserting tools as illustrated in Fig.

13. Considering that the disposition or Yrelative arrangement of the tools oi both gangs must con incide with that of the fastener-receiving holes in the work-pieces as exemplied in Fig. 12, it is apparent that one or more of the fastener-inserting tools obstruct access to one or more of the others in any direction crossvvise of the gang, and that it is therefore beyond the bounds of possi" y bility to supply fasteners to all the tools with one lfastener-supplying unit. Nevertheless, it is possible to supply fasteners simultaneously to all five of these tools with tWo raceway units, provided the delivery ends of the raceway units are moved toward and from each other, and provided, further, that both racevvay units are designed to supply fasteners only to those tools that are not obstructively related to each other. To illustrate these points a broken line is drawn on Fig. 6 in which the delivery ends oi two raceway units 18 and 19 are represented in their respective faspresent invention, by supplying fasteners through' one raceway unit to one tool of each obstructively related pair and through the other raceway unit to the other tool of each such pair. Accordingly, the illustrated machine is provided with two confronting racetvay units 18 and 19 arranged at opposite sides of the gang of fastener-inserting tools, the raceway unit 18 being provided with channels 3l and 35 arranged to supply fasteners to the tools 21 25 respectively, while the raceunit 19- is provided with channels 32 and 54 of unequal lengths arranged to supply fasteners to the tools 22 and 24 respectively. The racevvay unit 13 is also provided with a relatively short channel 33 arranged to supply fasteners to the tool 23. Thus, one raceivay unit having channels or" unequal lengths is adapted 'to supply fasteners to all the tools at one side of the vertical plane of line :c-r while the other unit also having channels oi unequal lengths is adapted to supply fasteners to all the tools at the opposite side of that plane.

Since all the fastenerdnserting tools are arranged at a common level it is necessary to arrange the delivery ends of the raceway units at a common level. Consequently, to avoid interference between the delivery ends of the raceway units when some of the iastene inserting tools of both groups are nearly, if not quite, in alinen ment, as in the illustrated example, the present invention provides a novel feature of construction of the racevvay which consists in coniplernentally articulated formations of their de.' livery ends, whereby the racevvayunits are enabled to present fasteners simultaneously to all the tools. The articulated formations above mentioned are illustrated in Fig. 6 in which the delivery ends of both raoevvay units are in their fastener-presenting positions. As shown in this iigure the articulated formations comprise a salient 36 projecting from the racev/ay unit 19 and a complemental recess 37 formed in the raceway unit 18.

rlhe stationary anvils or clenching tools 26, 27, 28, 29, and 30 are arranged to support the Work-pieces against the downward pressure of the eyelet--inserting tools. As shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 6 the anvils are affixed in a block 4G, and the latter is mounted on a horn or supporting arm 4l to which it is secured by bolts 4.2. The horn is adjustably attached to the infin frame 43 of the machine by clamping bolts 44, the main fran-1e being provided with a flat, vertical at' taching face or bed 45 against which a corresponding face of the attaching end of the horn is seated. vertically extending slots (Fig. l) formed in the frame 43 to receive the bolts 44 provide for vertical adjustment ci the horn. An adjusting screw 47 having threaded connection With an intermediate portion ci the horn is aru ranged to bear on an underlying rigid portion of the base 43 of the frame and thus t sustain in part the downward pressure of the fastenerdnn serting tools as Well as to adjust the anvils to the desired level when the clamping bolts 44 are relaXed. To maintain the horn rigidly in its rightside--up position the main frame and the horn are provided respectively with a vertical groove 49 and a rib 50.

The fastener-inserting tools 21, 22, 23, 24, and 25 are affixed in a block 51 carried by a vertically movable plunger 52, an upwardly projecting stem formed on the block being secured in av socket in the plunger by a bolt 53.

The plunger 52 is arranged to slide in stationary guides 54, 54 bolted to an overhanging portion of the frame 43, and is reciprocated vertically by cates motion from the cam 70 to the rock-shaft a crank or wrist-pin 55 to which it is connected by a link 56 (see Figs. 4, 5 and 11') This crank is .carried by a cam 57 the purpose of which is hereinafter described. The cam is afxed to a horizontal operating shaft 58 journaled in bearings 59 in the frame 43.

A pulley 69 loosely mounted on the rear end of the shaft 58 is intended to be driven continuously by a belt (not shown). A suitable starting and stopping clutch indicated as a whole at 61 in Figs. 2 and 3 is provided to establish driving connection between the pulley 60 and the shaft 58. A rod (i2-for controlling the clutch is arranged to be connected to a treadle (not shown). As shown in Fig. 2, a compression spring '63 surrounds the rod 62 and exerts upward pressure againstl a collar 64 affixed to the rod, the lower end of the spring being seated on the base 48 through which the rod extends. The springnormally maintains the clutch 61 in a disconnected condition, but when the rod is depressed by the treadle it causes the clutch to operate the shaft 58.

Fig. 13 illustrates one of the pairs of cooperative tools by which an eyelet is inserted and clenched in an article of work, the inserting tool 24 being shown in its lowest position and the lower end of an eyelet 17 being represented as having been rolled back and clenched against the anvil or clenching tool 29 without being split. Each anvil or clenching tool is provided with an annular clenching surface and with an upwardly projecting pilot or centering portion 20 adapted to occupy the holes previously formed in the work-pieces to receive the fasteners. Thus, `when the work-pieces are placed on the anvils 29 they are not only supported thereby but their fastener-receiving holes are maintained in alinement with the fasteners about to be inserted. 40

In accordance with common practice, each fastener-inserting tool is provided with a central spindle 65 normally projected downwardly by a spring (not shown), the spindle being arranged to enter the barrel of an eyelet in the delivery end of a raceway and to detach the eyelet from the raceway in consequence of retracting the latter.

As shown in Fig. 1 the two oppositely arranged raceway units 18 and 19 are connected to the frame 43 by horizontal supportingpivots 86. Their delivery ends are moved simultaneously toward and from each other with oscillatory motion about these pivots. Two separate trains of mechanism are provided for operating the raceway units respectively, and while some of the parts in these two trains of mechanism are not exactly'duplicates in shape they are nevertheless duplicates in operation and principle. Under these circumstances, it will suffice to describey the details of the train of mechanism for operating the left-hand raceway unit 18.

A duplex cam (see Fig. 2) carried by the shaft 58 is provided with a groove 70 in its front face for operating the raceway unit 18 and with a groove 7l in its rear face for operating the raceway unit 19. The mechanism for operating the raceway unit i8 includes a horizontal rock-shaft 72, while that for operating the raceway unit 19 includes a similar rock-shaft 73, these two shafts being arranged at opposite sides of the main power shaft 58 and being journaled in bearings 74 in the frame 43.

The operating connections for the racewayv unit 18 are lshown inFigs. 7, 8, 9 and l0. An arm 75 loosely mounted on the rock-shaft 72 communithrough the medium of a member shown-separately in Fig. 9. This member .comprises a hub and two lugs projecting therefrom, one of the lugs being indicated at 76 and the other being provided with a socket 77 to receive one end of a compression spring 78. The arm is provided .witn a socket 79 to receive the other end of the compression spring, and with a lug 80 arranged to abut the lug 76. In operation vthe lug 76 is normally maintained against the lug 88 by the spring butpermits the lug 80 to move away from the lug 76 when the fastener-presenting movement of the raceway unit is arrested by an adjustable stop hereinafter described. The member shown in Fig. 9 is provided with a setscrew 81 for securing it rigidly to the rockshaft. A cam-roll 82 carried by the arm 75 cooperates with the cam-.groove 79.

The rocking motions of the shaft 72 are communicated positively to the raceway unit 18 by connections comprising an arm 83, a connecting link 84, and the parts shown in Fig. 10, the arm 83 being loosely mounted on the rock-shaft and angularly adjustable with respect thereto according to the requirements of variously located fastener-inserting tools and variously designed raceway units with which the machine may be equipped. As shown in Fig. 1'0, an arm 85 mounted on the shaft 72 is provided with a split hub and with a bolt 86 by which the hub may be contracted to clamp the shaft tightly. A key 87 is also provided to insure rigid connection of the arm 85 and the rock-shaft. An adjustable operatingconnection between the arm 85 and the loosely mounted arm 83 is provided by a draw-bolt 88, a set-screw 89, and a lug 9)r formed on the arm 83. The draw-bolt 88 extends loosely through the arm 85 and is threaded in the lug 90, while the set-screw 89 is threaded in the arm 85 and abuts against the lug 90. Thus the draw-bolt and the set-screw are arranged to maintain the arm 83 rigidly in a deiinite angular relation to the rock-shaft 72 and to regulate this angular relation as Amay be required by the particular raceway unit affected thereby or by the particular fastener-inserting tool or gang of fastener-inserting tools with which the corresponding raceway unit is intended to cooperate.'

To insure accurate register of the delivery end of the raceway unit with the fastener-inserting tool or tools, the frame of the machine is provided with a bolt 91 (Fig. 7) the head of which serves as a stop against which aboss 92 on the raceway unit is arranged to abut. The bolt 91 is screwed into the machine frame and is provided with a check nut 93. In practice, the drawbolt 88 and the set-screw 89 (Fig. 10) vwill be adjusted to insure a slight over-throw of the arm 75 after the raceway unit is arrested by the stop 91, the parts being thus caused to assume the positions represented in Fig. 7. The cam 70 and the spring 78 are thus rendered effective to eliminate all back-lash or loose play in the operating connections when the raceway unit is in its fastener-presenting position.

Each raceway unit is provided with a hopper v95 from which fasteners are fedi-nto the fastener-supplying channel or channels. Any suitable or preferred means, such as a rotary brush (not shown) may be mounted in thelower part of each hopper to feed the fasteners therefrom. As shown in'Fig. 1, each hopper is provided withv a pulley'98',for-operatingsuch a brush. These pulleys are driven by belts 97 that run over sheaves 98 and in pulley-grooves 99 in the driving member of the clutch 61.

The fastener-inserting tools 2l, 22, 23, 24, and 25 receive a slow harmonic motion from the operating crank 55 (Fig. Il), the range of which is suicient to insert the fasteners into articles of work and clench them against the stationary anvils 26, 27, 28, 29, and. 3G. 1n some cases, as when the fastener-recel ing material is soit in the sense that it is capable of being compressed at the points where the fasteners are inserted, a harmonic motion or other slow motion may be sufficient to insure tight clenching oi the fasteners. On the other hand, when the fastenerreceiving material or materials are hard and not capable of being so compressed, it is virtually impossible to enect tight clenching oi the fasteners with a slow motion whether harmonic or not. This is presumeJ ly due in part to springing of machine parts under heavy stress and in part to resilience, however slight, ci the metal ci which the fasteners are made. 1n any event, although the fasteners may be clenched tightly while the tools are applying their maximum clenching pressure, the tightness ceases in many cases when the clenching pressure discontinued.

To insure complete insertion of fasteners in hard materials and permanently tight clenching of fasteners such as eyelets and tubular ri ets, the present invention provides improvements in methods ci and apparatus i'or inserting and clenching fasteners, a percussion mechanism being provided to supplement the crank mechanism illustrated in Fig. 4. In the illustrated machine these two mechanisms are so combined that the crank mechanism functions nrst in a wellinown manner to insert and clench the fasteners, a slow motion being desirable to avoid crumpling the barrels and splitting their clenched ends, after which, but while the cooperative fastener-engaging tools are still acting with pressure against opposite ends of the fasteners, the above-mentioned percussion mechanism may be caused to strike a blow on an element of the slow-motion mechanism in the direction of its fastener-inserting motion to set the clenched -fasteners with permanent tightness. To this end, the operating connection between the link 56 and the plunger 52 is designed to permit over-travel of the plunger in the direction oi' its fastener-inserting motion to an extent that will permit the percussion mechanism to have the desired effect without encountering any oppostion from, or doing Yany damage to, the crank 55 or the link 55.

As shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and I1, a hammer 10.0-

maintained in various positions of adjustment by a locking pin 19e that extends through. a hole in the frame structure and may be inserted into any one of a circular series oi sockets 155 formed in the collar 103.

The cam 57 by which the crank 55 is carried is formed and arranged to retract the hammer 15G and to release it when the crank is at bottom center as shown in Fig. 11. For this purpose a vertically movable cam-follower 106 is interposed between the cam and the hammer and is arranged to slide in a guiding boss 107 formed on the frame 43. The lifting portion of the cam 57 extends through approximately 180 degrees and is effective through that portion of the cycle during which the crank-pin 55 moves from bottom center to top center. The other portion of 180 degrees of the periphery of the cam is concentric as indicated at 108 in Figs. 5 and l1. This concentric portion maintains the hammer at its highest position while the crank 55 is descending to insert and clench the fasteners with a slow motion, but when the crank is at or near bottom center as represented in rig. 11, the cani follower 106 is released by an abrupt step 109 in the cam (see Fig.. l1), whereupon the hammer strikes a sudden clench-tightening blow on plunger 25. Under these conditions, the inertia or" the mass comprising the horn Z11, the block 40 and the anvils rigidly supported thereby, becomes effective to insure permanent tightness of the clenched fasteners irrespective of how much the frame structure and other elements may have been sprung by the stresses developed by the slow operation or the crank 55.

To provide for a slight over-travel of the fastener-inserting tools under the influence of the hammer 100 without breaking or straining the parts of the crank mechanism, the link 56 and the plunger 25 are connected by a lost-motion connection illustrated in Figs. ll, 5 and l1. For tl s purpose the lower end of the link is formed with a slot 110 in which a rectangular bushing or block 111 is arranged to slide. A horizontal pivot stud 112 rigidly mounted in the plunger 25 extends through Vthe block 111. The lower end or the slot 119 is closed by a cross-piece or cap 113 aiiixed to the link 56 by bolts 114. A helical spring 115 under initial compression is seated in a socket in the member 113 and normally maintains the block 111 against the upper extremity oi the slot 110 as illustrated in Figs. 4- and 5, but when the hammer strikes a blow on the plunger 25 it drives the plunger and the block 111 slightly below the lower limit of travel previously imparted thereto by the crank 55, the block 111 being thereby depressed relatively to the link 56 as shown in Fig. l1. When, subsequently, the

plunger 25 is raised by the crank, and the ham-l mer 100 is raised by the cam 5*?, the lost-motion connection is restored to its normal relation by the spring 115 to i4- are positive operation of the fastener-inserting tools by the crank 55 during the next subsequent cycle oi operations.

When the percussion mechanism is used to supplement Lhe crank mecha' ism, the cycle of operations is as follows. The parts stand initially in the positions represented in Figs. 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, and 7, the fastener-inserting tools being then at their highest level, and the eyelets at the delivery ends of the raceway units being in register with the fastener-inserting tools and the anvils. After tripping the operating clutch 51, the operator will release the controlling treadle immediately, to the end that the shaft 58 will be arrested at the completion of each cycle.` As the gang of fastener-inserting tools descends, the spindles 65 thereof enter the barrels or" the leading eyelets in the raceway units, whereupon the raceway units are retracted far enough to clear the block 51 in which these tools are secured. Assuming that a plate 15 oi metal and a plate 16 of Vcompressed nber have been placed on the anvils as represented in Fig. 13, the eyelets will be carriedy nearly, if not quite, to them by the spindles 65. When the downward movement of the spindles is arrested by the pilots 2i) of the anvils the eyelets will be stripped from the spindles and inserted into the work-pieces 15 and 16 by the fastener-inserting tools. The rangeof motion imparted to the fastener-inserting tools by the crank 55 is sufficient to roll back and clench the lower ends of the eyelets as shown in Fig. 13, the inserting and clenching pressure being applied to theanges at the upper ends of the eyelets. Up to this point in the cycle the hammer 160 is maintained at its highest level by the concentric portion 198 of the cam 57, but when the crank is about to pass its lower dead-center position the step 109 releases the hammer. The blow struck by the hammer occurs coincidentally with the completion of the slow fastener-inserting motion by which the lower ends of the eyelet barrels are rolled back and clenched and by which the flanges at the upper ends of the eyelets are seated against the upper surface of the workpiece 15. instant when the pressure developed by the crank mechanism is of maximum degree. The forces thus derived from two sources are combined to insure complete insertion of the eyelets and to eliminate all space cr looseness between the workpieces 15 and 16. Moreover, the sudden impact of the hammer 100 under these conditions imparts a permanent set to the clenched portions of the eyelets and embeds them slightly in the fiber piece 16, the rims of the anvils being preferably provided with sharp circular edges to provide backing for the edges of the clenched portions without projecting beyond the latter.

As the crank 55 progresses from the bottom center to top center itA returns the fastener-inserting tools to their initial level (Fig. 1), the cam 57 meanwhile raising the hammer 10G. When the fastener-inserting tools have nearly reached their highest level the delivery ends of the raceway units are moved toward each other to place another gang of eyelets in register with the spindles 65, and when all the parts have returned to their initial positions the shaft 58 is arrested automatically by stopping elements combined with the clutch mechanism.

If it be desired to use the slow-motion fastenerinserting mechanism without using the percussion mechanism, as when inserting fasteners in relatively soft or compressible fastener-receiving material, the hammer 100 may be maintained out of operation by locking the cam follower 106 in its raised position. For this purpose, the illustrated machine is provided with a manually controllable locking member 116 (Figs. 2, 3 and 5) arranged to be thrown into a notch 117 formed in the follower 106. Thelocking member is supported `on the upper surface of the guiding boss 107 to which it is connected by a pivot stud 119. A finger-piece or operating handle 118 is formed on the locking member 116. As shown in Fig. 3 the locking member is retracted from the notch 117. An angular movement of 99 degrees or less about the pivot stud 119 is sufficient to place the effective portion of the locking member in the notch 117. The notch is in register with the locking member only when the follower 106 is at the upper limit of its travel as illustrated in Fig. 5.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A fastener-inserting machine comprising ak Moreover, the blow is struck at the gang of fastener-inserting tools, operating mech-W anism by which fastener-inserting movement is imparted thereto, two confronting raceway units arranged at opposite sides of said gang of tools, one of saidraceway units having a plurality of fastener-supplying channels arranged to present fasteners to certain of said tools and the other having one or more such channels arranged to present fasteners to the other tool or tools of the gang, and mechanism for operating said raceway units by moving their delivery ends toward and from each other.

2. A fastener-inserting machine comprising a gang of fastener-inserting tools arranged otherwise than in a straight row, operating mechanism by which fastening-inserting movement is im-- parted thereto, two confronting fastener-supplying units yarranged at opposite sides of said gang of tools, one of said units having means arranged to present a crooked'row of fasteners to correspondingly arranged tools of said gang,

and the other one of said units having means arranged to present fasteners to one or more other tools of said gang, and mechanism for operating said units simultaneously.

3. A fastener-inserting machine comprising a gang of fastener-inserting tools arranged otherwise than in a straight row, operating mechanism by which fastener-inserting movement is imparted thereto, two confronting raceway units arranged at opposite sides of said gang of tools, one of said units having a plurality of fastenersupplying channels of unequal lengths arranged te present fasteners to certain of said tools, and the other one of said units having one or more channels arranged to present fasteners to one or more other tools of the gang, and mechanism for operating said raceway units simultaneously.

l. A fastener-inserting machine comprising a gang of fastener-inserting tools one or more of which obstructA presentation of fasteners to one or more others from one side of the gang, operating mechanism by which fastener-inserting movement is imparted to said gang of tools, two confronting raceway units arranged at opposite sides of said gang of tools, one of said raceway units having a plurality of fastener supplying channels arranged to present fasteners to tools accessible from one side of said gang and the other having one or more fastener-supplying channels arranged to present fasteners to the other tool or tools of the gang, and mechanism for operating said raceway units by moving their delivery ends toward and from each other.

5. A fastener-inserting machine comprising a gang of fastener-inserting tools a plurality of which are arranged at one side of a line and one or more of which are arranged at the opposite side of said line, operatingv mechanisrn by which fastener-inserting movement'is imparted to said gang of tools, two confronting raceway units arranged at opposite sides of said line, one of said units having a plurality of fastener-supplying channels arranged to present fasteners to the tools at one side of said line and the other having one or more channels arranged to present fasteners to the tool or tools at the opposite side of said line, and mechanism .for operating said raceway units by moving their delivery ends toward and from each other. v

6. A fastener-inserting machine comprising a gang of closely spaced fastener-inserting tools, operating mechanism by which fastener-inserting movement is imparted thereto, two confronting raceway units oppositely arranged to present fasteners to said tools at a common level, one of said units having a plurality of fastener-supplying channels and the other having one or more such channels the delivery ends of which are offset laterally from alinement with those of the first-mentioned channels, and the delivery ends of said units being complementally articulated tc clear each other, and mechanism for operating said raceway units by moving their delivery ends toward and from each other.

7. A fastener-inserting machine comprising a gang of fastener-inserting tools, an operating shaft, two individually movable raceways arranged at opposite sides of the aXis of said shaft, means carried by said shaft for operating said raceways to present fasteners to said tools, and means carried by said shaft for operating' said gang of tools to insert the fasteners.

8. A fastener-inserting machine comprising two individually movable raceways arranged in opposed relation to each other, a gang of fastenerinserting tools movable between the delivery ends of said raceways, mechanism arranged to operate racevvays to present fasteners to said tools by moving their delivery ends toward and from each other, and mechanism arranged to operate said tools to insert the fasteners.

9. A fastener-inserting machine comprising two pendent oscillatory raceways the delivery ends of which are underslung and extend toward each other at a common level, a plunger arranged between said racevvays and provided with a gang of fastener-inserting tools, an operating shaft the axis of which lies between said raceways, means carried by said shaft for operating' said raceways to present fasteners to said tools, and means carried by said shaft for operating said plunger to insert the fasteners.

10. A fastener-inserting machine comprising fastener-inserting means, a movable raceway arranged to present fasteners to said means, an abutment arranged to arrest said raceway in its fastener-presenting position, and power-driven mechanism arranged to move the delivery end of said raceway to and from the position determined by said abutment, said mechanism including a resilient connection arranged to yield when the raceway is arrested by said abutment.

11. A fastener-inserting machine comprising fastener-inserting means, a movable raceway arranged to present fasteners to said means, a power-operated rockshaft for operating said raceway, an arm loosely arranged on said rockshaft and operatively connected to said raceway, a member rigidly secured to said roekshaft adjacent to said arm, and two cooperative adjusting screws by which said arm and said member are positively connected and by which the angular relation of arm and said rockshaft may be regulated.

12. A fastener-inserting machine comprising Work-supporting means, slow-motion mechanism arranged to insert a fastener into work sustained by said Work-supporting means, and percussion mechanism arranged to strike a blow on an element of said slow-motion mechanism in the direction of its fastener-inserting motion and in timed relation to its cycle of operation.

13. A fastener-inserting machine comprising working-supporting means, a fastener-inserting member movable toward and from said means, a crank arranged to operate said member, and percussion mechanism controlled to operate in timed relation to said crank and arranged to strike a blow against said fastener-inserting member in the direction of its fastener-inserting motion when said crank is passing a dead-center position.

le. A fastener-inserting machine comprising work-supporting means, a plunger movable toward and from said means, a fastener-inserting tool carried by said plunger, an operating shaft, operating means carried by said shaft by which slow fastener-insertin T motion is imparted to said plunger, a spring-stressed hammer arranged to strike a blow against said plunger in the direction of its fastener-inserting motion, and means carried by said shaft to retract and release said hammer in timed relation to said slowmotion operating means.

15. A fastener-inserting machine comprising a plunger', a fastener-inserting tool carried thereby, work-supporting means, operating mechanism including a crank by which harmonic fastener-inserting motion is imparted to said plunger, said operating mechanism and said plunger having a lost-motion connection, and percussion mechanism arranged to strike a blow against said plunger in the direction of its fastener-inserting motion in timed relation to the operation of said crank.

i6. A fastener-inserting machine comprising a plunger, a fastener-inserting tool carried thereby, work-supporting means, operating mechanism by which a slow fastener-inserting motion is imparted to said plunger, said operating mechanism and said plunger having a lost-motion connection, and percussion mechanism arranged to strike a blow against said plunger in the direction of its fastener-inserting motion in timed relation to the operation of said slow-motion operating mechanism.

17. A fastener-inserting machine comprising cooperative setting tools arranged to operate against opposite ends of a fastener, mechanism for relatively moving said tools withy a slow motion to upset and clench a fastener, and percussion mechanism arrange to strike a clenchtightening blow against one of said tools in timed relation to the clenching movement of the mechanism first specified.

18. A fastener-inserting machine comprising cooperative setting tools arranged to operate against opposite ends of a fastener, mechanism for moving one of said tools toward the other with an approximately harmonic motion to upset and clench a fastener, and percussion mechanism arranged to strike a clench-tightening blow against one of said tools in timed relation to the clenching movement of the mechanism rst specified. l

19. A fastener-inserting machine comprising cooperative settingv tools arranged` to operate against opposite ends of a fastener, a crankfastener, and percussion mechanism arranged to` strike a clench-tightening blow against one of said tools when said crank is adjacent to its dead-center clenching position.

21. A fastener-inserting machine comprising a fastener-inserting tool, mechanism for operatn ing said tool with a siow fastener-inserting motion, a striker arranged to strike a blow against said tool in the direction of its inserting motion, a spring arranged to operate said striker, and means under control of said operating mechanism by which said striker is initially restrained and thereafter tripped to supplement said slow fastener-inserting motion with a sudden impact.

22. A fastener-inserting machine comprising cooperative setting tools arranged to operate against opposite ends of a fastener, mechanism arranged to operate one of said tools with a slow motion to upset and clench a fastener, a striker arranged to strike a blow against one of said tools in the direction of the other one of the tools, a spring arranged to operate said striker, and means under controi of said mechanism for initially restraining and thereafter tripping said striker to suppiement the clenching effect produced by said slow motion.

23. A fastener-inserting machine comprising cooperative setting tools arranged to operate against opposite ends of a fastener, mechanism arranged to operate one of said tools withv a slow motion to upset and clench a fastener, the operating connection between said one of said tools and said operating 'mechanism being formed to permit that one of the tools to run ahead of said mechanism, and percussion mechanisrn arranged to drive said one of the tools ahead of said operating mechanism with a sudden impact to supplement the clenching effect produced by said operating mechanism.

24. A fastener-inserting machine comprising a plunger, one or more fastener-inserting tools carried thereby, means arranged to cooperate With said one or more tools to clench the fasteners, operating mechanism including a cranls by which harmonic fastener-inserting motion is imparted to said plunger, said operating mechanism and said plunger having a lost-motion connection, and percussion mechanism arranged to strike a clench-tightening blow against said plunger in timed relation to the operation of said crank.

25. A fastener-inserting machine comprising work-supporting means, a fastener-inserting member movable toward and from said means, a spring-stressed hammer arranged to operate said member, and rotary driven means arranged to retract said hammer and operate said member with a slow motion.

26. A fastener-inserting machine comprising work-supporting means, a fastener-inserting member movable toward and from said means, a spring-stressed hammer arranged to operate said member, rotary driven means arranged to retract said hammer and operate said member with a slow motion, and manually movable controlling means by which said hammer may be restrained from operating without preventing operation of said slow-motion means.

27. A fastener-inserting machine comprising a frame and a detachable work-supporting horn having cooperative flat vertical attaching faces provided one with a vertical groove and the other with a compiemental rib to maintain the horn positively in a predetermined upright position, means arranged to clamp said horn against said attaching face of the frame, a fastenerclenching anvil mounted at the outer end of said horn, fastener-inserting mechanism arranged to cooperate with said anvii, said frame also having a rigid portion underlying an intermediate portion of said horn, and adjustable means engaging said rigid portion of the frame and said intermediate portion of the horn to brace the against the stresses irnposed by said fastener-inserting mechanism.

28. That improvement in methods of securing fastene which consists in inserting into a work-piece a ductile metal fastener having a fiange at one end and a tubular formation at the opposite end, rolling back said tubular formation to form a roll-clench at a speed sufficiently slow to avoid splitting the metal thereof, and thereafter tightening the fastener by striking a blow against one end thereof while the other end is seated against an anvil.

29. That improvement in methods of securing fasteners which consists in inserting into a work-piece a ductile metal fastener having a flange at one end and a tubular formation at the opposite end, rolling back said tubular formation to form a roll-clench at a speed sufficiently s'icw to avoid splitting the metal thereof, and thereafter tightening the fastener by striking a blow against the :danged end thereof while the clenched end is seated against the with one continuous slow motion until the head or flange is seated against the work-piece, and

striking a blow against the fastener in the direction of its inserting motion coincidentally with the completion of the slow inserting motion.

3l. That improvement in methods of inserting fasteners which consists ininserting a fastener having a head or flange into a Work-piece with one harmonic motion of a length to seat the head or flange against the work-piece, and

striking a blow against the fastener in the direction of its inserting motion coincidentally with the compietion of the harmonic inserting `mo tion.

32. That improvement in methods of securing fasteners which consists in inserting into a work-piece and against an upsetting anvil contiguous theretoa ductile metal fastener having a tubular formationat its leading end and a flange or .head` at its trailing end with one harmonic motion of a length to upset and clench the leading end, and striking a clench-tightening blow against one end of the clenched fastener coincidentally with the completion of the harmonic inserting motion.

ERNEST S. NOKES.

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